Giving Chase
by Tarafina
Summary: Johnny Storm just found the one woman to keep his attention… except she doesn’t want it.


**Title**: Giving Chase  
**Category**: Smallville/Fantastic Four  
**Genre**: Humor/Romance/Angst  
**Ship**: Chloe Sullivan/Johnny Storm  
**Rating**: PG13  
**Word Count**: 2,674  
**Summary**: Johnny Storm just found the one woman to keep his attention… except she doesn't want it.

**_Giving Chase_**

He sighed, grinning to himself. Finally, the Friday he'd wanted with her from the beginning was happening. All this time, all of her putting him off had been worth it. From the moment they met, she'd been nothing but amused by his interest. He was Johnny Storm, the Human Torch, _every _woman (with the obvious exception of Sue, his sister – uh, ew!) wanted him. It was natural; he was used to it. Hell, he _loved _it. With an easy smirk and a few charming words, most women were more than willing to share his bed.

But not _her_.

The Fantastic Four met the Justice League because of mismanagement. Territories weren't exactly designated to either team and so it was bound to happen that they ran into each other on a job. Reed and Green Arrow were glaring at each other distrustfully, Ben was staring down Cyborg and Aquaman (what kinda pansy name _is _that, anyway?), and Sue was looking polite and uncomfortable.

"Dudes, we were here first!" Johnny announced, crossing his arms. "So take your fish and your arrows elsewhere, all right?"

He wasn't polite _or _uncomfortable and he wasn't gonna get into a pissing contest because he didn't think he _needed _to. He was the Human Torch; he did and said whatever the hell he wanted. And he _liked_ it that way!

"Calm down before I pull out the fire extinguisher, kid," a female voice interrupted.

And he turned, ready to charm her into submission. Only she wasn't the least bit put out by his smirk. In fact, she met his with her own. Watchtower was beautiful; he'd never seen her in the papers but he knew _of _her and now he knew why the League kept her under lock and key. With golden blonde hair and mirthful green eyes, she was the type that attracted a whole lot of attention when one wanted to be unnoticed. The quirk of her lips said cunning and sarcastic and the tilt of her head was all stubborn determination.

"Playground rules are as following," she told them. "Share, be nice, and remember who your real opponent is." She cocked a brow at them, including her own team in the warning. "When this is over, we'll sort out who works where, for now… Do what you do best." With a grin and wink, she waved them off, "Save the people."

Nobody argued; they did as they were told, and Johnny had already decided that he was gonna make something more of this temporary merger than what was expected.

"Johnny," Sue sighed knowingly.

He smirked and then he was off. "Flame on!" he shouted excitedly.

He showed off; he knew it, she knew it, hell the whole city must've caught on.

But in the end, she showed him no more interest than anyone else. They sat down in some stuffy office area and the League and his team agreed to stick to their own areas so they didn't bump heads again. There was an open-ended offer to join the League at any time and they agreed to think about it but stick to their foursome as it was.

"So… You in town long?" he asked her as the teams were separating and getting ready to leave.

She laughed lightly, shaking her head. "Not long enough for you to work any of that charm on me, Storm," she replied with a grin. And then she was off, drawn into the inner sanctity of her protective team of heroes, who all glared at him for good reason. If he had his way, they'd be celebrating together and heroes and teams would be the _last _thing on her mind. But it looked like the Justice League wasn't going to let that happen and she wasn't fighting it.

He didn't see her again for a few months, but he got her number off of Reed… who wasn't looking when Johnny thumbed through his rolodex for the League's private phone number.

"Justice League headquarters, Watchtower speaking," she answered.

He grinned, leaning back in his chair in a cocky manner. "How safe is this line?" he wondered. "Like if I wanted to ask what you're wearing, could you be totally honest?"

There was a pause and then a snort. "Johnny Storm… How very clever of you, finding this number… Lemme guess… You filched it off Reed."

With a chuckle, he nodded. "I've got sticky fingers."

"I'm sure," she muttered. "And while this line is very safe, I'm not sharing the details of my wardrobe… Take a hint, Smokey, I'm not interested."

She hung up but he wasn't done yet. If anything, she just made him more interested.

He called every few days, in between his usual public celebrity events and saving whoever it was in danger lately.

They must have call display because she always knew it was him.

"Don't you have any friends?" she sighed.

He hated that question. The closest thing he had to friends were his team and what was worse… It was a toss up between his sister and the Rock Slide which one was his bestie. Shuddering, he ignored her query. "Don't you have any plans? It's a Friday night, 'Tower."

"I'm aware," she drawled. "My work weeks don't end Friday afternoon."

"No time for yourself?" He frowned, brows furrowed. "How do you _cope?_"

Johnny was the kind of guy who's relax time consisted of all-night parties and charming the dress of beautiful women, sometimes more than one at a time. He liked to get out and see the sights and never let a good time pass him by. Given what he did, he didn't really have a set work week and so he could go for weeks without having to drag on the tight suit and use his powers for anything more than making jiffy pop and exciting the ladies.

"Massive quantities of coffee and occasionally, when I've been really good, my favorite billionaire gives me a few weeks to myself… Did you know he owns an island?" She laughed lightly. "My own private nude beach, Johnny," she whispered.

He swallowed tightly. Images of her slowly dragging clothes from herself slammed into his senses like slap to the face. Good lord, he wanted her… "You like torturing me, don't you?" he growled huskily.

"If I didn't, I'd just block your number." There was an alarm in the background and he knew what little time he got of hers was over with. "Go play with your fans, Johnny. I've got work to do."

She hung up and he wished it was just that easy. But in the last three months, he'd stopped caring about the women that come so easily to him and instead focused on the only one who didn't. It seemed the more he wanted away from the lifestyle, the more it wanted him to join in. He was avoiding his cell phone like the plague and hoping some disaster would strike just for the small chance they'd end up knocking heads with the JLA again.

It was ridiculous; one woman shouldn't hold so much of his attention. But as time wore on, he found himself thinking of her during the most unexpected moments. In the mornings, when warming up a cup of coffee with his hand, he thought of her. Of how much she loved coffee and how the mere scent of it would no doubt draw a smile to her face. He'd never seen her smile; her smirk, yes. But a full on smile, no… He bet it was beautiful.

When he saw her again, he felt like she was a long, lost friend.

She grinned as he walked into League headquarters, his three teammates taking up the rear. Reed was going geek over all the technology, Ben was worrying he was too big for the hallways and Sue was amused with her brother's excitement.

Watchtower stopped in front of them with a grin. "Welcome to—" She was cut off when he picked her up in a bear-hug and squeezed her close. He couldn't believe how lame he was when he inhaled the lilac scent of her hair and almost sighed.

"You weigh like _nothing_!" he exclaimed, squeezing her waist.

Touching his shoulder, she chuckled. "You can put me down now," she murmured.

"Yeah…" a voice called out from just behind her. "That'd be a good idea."

Johnny dropped her down to her feet but he'd never been one for intimidation, so he slung an arm around her shoulders and smirked at the four men staring back at him. "Nice digs," he said, glancing around the immediate vicinity.

Oliver Queen pursed his lips. "We like to think so…" He looked down at the petite blonde at Johnny's side and cocked a brow. "Mind giving her back? We're a little possessive around here."

Johnny smirked.

Sue shoved him in the shoulder "Joh-nnny," she warned.

With a sigh, he slid his arm off her and waited for her to remove herself.

She surprised him when she hooked her arm with his. "I'll show you guys around and then we can get down to business," she announced.

With a warning look at Oliver, she excused them and Johnny was a little too cocky as he walked proudly past the men, still holding on to his prize.

League Headquarters were huge and there was a whole lot more heroes out there than they knew about. Reed was fascinated, going off on long tangents and asking about everything from the computers to the ceiling fans. Johnny just wanted to steal Chloe away and focus all of his attention on her. But business eventually interrupted and the original few in the League met with the Fantastic Four over the latest in discrepancies. He wasn't worried or even all that interested; he was too busy staring at her.

Things got figured out and before they left, Johnny snuck off to find her.

He found her sitting in a room surrounded by ten or so computer screens, a keyboard as long as a table in front of her. Taking out his cell phone, he dialed the number he'd equated to her alone since that first conversation. When it rang, she reached to her left and picked it up without looking. "I hope this isn't another attempt at asking what I'm wearing, since I can see you staring at me from my security monitors," she said wryly into the phone.

He laughed, closed his cell and crossed the room to stand next to her. "So this is where you are when I call…" He whistled at all the high tech thingamabobs everywhere; not his style, but at least she looked comfortable.

Leaning back in her chair, she lifted a brow at him. "Does anyone know you're back here?"

He grinned. "You think they'd let me if they knew?"

She chuckled. "I think they could tryand stop you and it'd do no good."

Smirking, he nodded. "You'd be right."

Crossing her arms over her chest, she shook her head. "You're in over your head with me, Johnny."

Kneeling so they were face to face, he frowned. "I think I'm just where I should be."

Leaning in until they were mere inches apart, her lips curled seductively. "I'm not the catch you think I am… I've got baggage galore and my own team of superheroes to watch my back." Cupping his chin between her fingers, she stroked his jaw affectionately. "I'm a one-guy girl who thinks too much with her heart and you're the guy who listens more to his body…" She smiled sadly. "We don't fit… and if you keep trying, one or both us is going to get hurt."

Taking her hand in his, he threaded their fingers. "I like risks… and the reward is totally worth it."

With a sigh, she shook her head. "I've taken enough risks with my heart to last two lifetimes… I won't do it again."

He smiled, even as felt the chase give way to reality. "I'm not giving up."

"But you will."

She was so certain and he wanted to argue, but he heard Sue calling him and he knew it was time to go.

He kissed her forehead, lingered, breathed in that lilac scent of hers and hoped he could imprint it in his senses for awhile. He didn't say goodbye, but he left her where she was and he walked away heavy-hearted.

He didn't call for awhile, gave them both some time to think, and then he wondered when the hell he became so damn lame.

"You really like her," Sue said, taking a seat across from him.

He frowned, rolling his eyes. "I like _most _women," he argued petulantly.

She was only amused. "Yeah… But not like her."

He was ready to argue, to make nothing out of something, but she was staring at him like she knew him better than anyone. And damn it, she totally _was _his best friend.

"She won't gimme a try."

Sue didn't reply.

"I'm worth it, right? I mean, yeah, I don't have the best track record, but I'm a good guy." His eyes were wide and his arms were out as if he was trying to prove it to her. "I'm funny and good looking and I can get any woman I want!" he boasted.

She blinked. "Well, one out of three isn't bad."

He glared.

She laughed lightly. "Johnny… Do you really think she cares how many women want you?" Shaking her head, she leaned back with a smile. "She's surrounded by heroes all day long… Some of whom, I might add, aren't hard on the eyes…"

"So… what?" He scowled. "You don't think I'm good enough for her?"

"No!" she said quickly, shaking her head. "I think you have to find out what makes you different, what makes you _worth _it… Because if _you _don't know, how can she?"

He hated when she got all smart on him. She left him there to think, squeezing his shoulder reassuringly as she walked by.

He was happy just being the funny guy he was; back when his life was pretty simple given he was some mutated fire-man. Maybe he was actually _maturing_; heaven forbid. But hell… He couldn't avoid this; couldn't avoid _her_. For the first time in a long time, Johnny Storm wanted something more than a fling; he wanted someonewho could really mean something. He wanted Chloe Sullivan to give him a chance to be more than what he was. And shit… he was gonna do something to get her to.

When he finally called her, he had nothing funny to say.

"I wanna be worth it."

She was silent, didn't reply right away.

"And I think I can be…"

"Why?" she finally asked. "Why me? Why now?"

He shrugged, glared at nothing as he paced his bedroom floor. "I dunno… All my life, I was just the cool guy… I was funny and happy with how things were going. When I got my powers, it was even better. I was loved by everyone; women especially and I liked it that way. They don't really care about me, about Johnny… They just want the Human Torch in their beds and I was good with that…" Rubbing the furrow of his brow, he sighed. "And some part of me still is… But I don't want that to _be _me. I can be more than that. I _am _more than that… And I think, if you gimme a try, I can be more with you."

He waited, ready to fight for his chance.

"Okay."

He blinked. "Huh?"

She laughed. "I said okay… You can have a try…" She paused. "But _hurt _me, Johnny… and I have a League of men that can get rid of you and not leave one molecule of trace behind. Understand?"

He should have been scared, but most of him was just excited. "Friday," he suggested.

"It's Thursday," she argued.

He smirked. "I know."

And so their plans were set.


End file.
